The former director of buildings and grounds for the Butler School District is facing charges over elevated lead and copper levels in water at Summit Township Elementary School.

Glenn R. Terwilliger, 54, of Chicora was charged Friday by summons with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct.

The criminal complaint in the case states that Terwilliger, a 35-year employee of the school district, knowingly put students and faculty in danger by failing to notify school officials that the water at Summit Township Elementary School, 351 Brinker Road, Summit Township, contained elevated levels of lead and copper, going so far as to tell supervisors that the water was safe for consumption, against Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recommendations.

Terwilliger later resigned.

The complaint states that in August 2016, Terwilliger was the district's certified water operator and thus it was his responsibility to ensure the school's water was safe for consumption.

After a test of the water on Aug. 15, 2016, it was found that the four of five samples, taken from four different classrooms and the school library, exceeded the lead limit for drinking water.

The document states that Terwilliger was contacted by the laboratory that conducted the tests, before calling and speaking with Thomas Blair, the sanitarian supervisor for the DEP.

Police said Blair then sent Terwilliger an e-mail detailing actions that were required to be followed due to the test results, which included five activities, one of which was developing a public education program and delivering the materials within 60 days, then submitting a letter to the DEP detailing the activities within 10 days of completing them.

“The public education program must be delivered to the parents of the students, and all faculty and staff by Nov. 29, 2016,” the e-mail read, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Blair reported to police that he sent the e-mail on Sept. 27, 2016, detailing what public notifications had to be made by the district and stated at no time did he instruct Terwilliger that the water was safe for consumption, nor did he green-light the consumption of the water.

Police said the investigation revealed Terwilliger failed to make these notifications after being advised by DEP and no public education program was developed, nor were public education materials delivered.

Terwilliger's supervisors were interviewed and reported that they were not advised of the DEP e-mail and said they were told by Terwilliger that the DEP advised him the water was safe for consumption and normal use, police said.

“I believe Terwilliger's failure to deliver the proper notifications to the students' parents, faculty, and staff at Summit Elementary put them at risk to consume and use water that contained a lead and copper exceedance,” Pennsylvania State Trooper Max DeLuca wrote in the criminal complaint.

The school district revealed the incident in January 2017, which outraged parents and ultimately prompted the resignations of several school district officials, as well as the filing of a class-action lawsuit against the district claiming negligence — the suit was later dismissed.

The district's insurance providers then filed a lawsuit seeking to avoid covering the district's legal expenses associated with the federal lawsuit, which ran into the tens of thousands of dollars, before the board voted to change insurers.

The district responded with work tying the school building into the public water supply and replacing aging pipe fixtures in the building's water distribution system.

A preliminary hearing on the Terwilliger case is scheduled May 29 before District Judge Lewis Stoughton.

Terwilliger could not be reached for comment Friday. It was unknown if he has an attorney.

Butler School District officials declined to comment.